KESWICK — The two sides that competed in the inaugural VSGA Four-Ball Match Play Championship title match last October are back again for the second playing of the championship, and unsurprisingly, they’re the top two seeds.
Keith Decker and Jon Hurst defeated Kyle Bailey and Vincent Nadeau for the championship in 2015, and both sides cruised into Saturday’s quarterfinals with a pair of victories Friday at Keswick Golf Club. For the most part, it was a day for the favorites at Pete Dye’s renovated Full Cry layout at Keswick, as the No. 3 seed (Buck Brittain and Jimmy Delp) and the No. 4 seed (Brandon LaCroix and Matt Chandler) joined last year’s finalists in Saturday’s quarterfinal round.
Not all went to script on Friday, however. Two double-digit seeds worked their way from the round of 32 into the final eight, led by the highest seed remaining, No. 21 seed Tyler Clark and Robert Nussey (Brandermill CC), who knocked off the senior tandem of Jim Nirich (Stonewall GC) and Jim Gallagher (Tidewater Amateur Golf Tour) before taking out a side of top juniors in No. 5 seed Drew Brockwell (CC at the Highlands) and Connor Johnson Jr. (CC of Virginia).
The other double-digit seed to advance was No. 11 Christopher White (Birdwood GC) and Matt Ashley (1757 GC), who won two matches in convincing fashion.
Rounding out the quarterfinals are No. 8 seed Vince Wheeler and Corey Gallagher (Roanoke CC) and No. 7 seed Harold Dill III and Conor Cafferty (South Riding GC).
Hurst (Fredericksburg CC) and Decker (Chatmoss CC) rolled past Jon Corry and Thomas Robinson (Evergreen CC) 4 and 3 in the first round. Hurst opened the duo’s second match on fire, making birdie on his first five holes to help his side to a huge lead and an eventual 5-and-4 win over John Corbin (Stonehouse GC) and Trevor Ronan (Brickshire GC).
“I don’t know, I just like the golf course,” said Hurst, a two-time VSGA Mid-Amateur champion. “If you hit it in the fairway, you’re good. And the greens are perfect. So if you put it on your line, it’s going to be good.”
Hurst and Decker were paired together at the 71st Captain’s Putter Matches two weeks ago, as were Bailey (Roanoke CC) and Nadeau (Spring Creek GC). Bailey and Nadeau continued their strong play together with a pair of victories, taking out Scott Kennedy and Pete Smith (1757 GC) 8 and 7 in the morning before handling Adam Houck (The Federal Club) and Scott Reisenweaver (Salisbury CC) 3 and 2 in the afternoon.
“We had a good day,” Nadeau said. “Kyle hit it really well. He made a couple of big putts in the first match, and we got off to a really good start. … We made a lot of birdies. It went well the whole time.”
For Bailey, Saturday’s quarterfinals feature an interesting twist. He teamed with Dill to win the 51st VSGA Four-Ball Stroke Play title in May. For the second straight year, Bailey and Nadeau will see Dill in the Four-Ball Match Play championship. Dill teamed with his father last year.
Dill and Cafferty eked out a 2 and 1 win over the brother tandem of Steve (Willow Oaks CC) and Jay Serrao (Cavalier G&YC) in the round of 16.
LaCroix and Chandler (Hunting Hills CC) were the only side to win just one match to reach the quarterfinals, as their first-round opponent withdrew, sending them straight to the round of 16. LaCroix and Chandler, who have won a VSGA Four-Ball Stroke Play title together, defeated Parker Wingfield (James River CC) and Spence Andrews (VSGA eClub Richmond) 5 and 4 in the round of 16.
They’ll face Clark and Nussey, who snuck out a 1-up win over current St. Christopher’s and future Virginia Tech teammates Brockwell and Johnson as darkness fell over the dark course.
“The fun part about it is that growing up, that’s what I did,” Clark said. “You played until dark. The really fun part was how slow the greens got on the last two holes with the amount of dew that was picking up on there.”
White and Ashley won their first match 7 and 5 and defeated Mike Ancel (Newport News GC at Deer Run) and Joe Coates (Mill Quarter Plantation) 6 and 4 in the round of 16, so they were in well before dark. The same can’t be said for Delp and Brittain, their quarterfinal opponents.
Delp and Brittain were all square with Craig Groenendaal (Laurel Hill GC) and Tim Krouse (Westwood CC) after 18 holes. The sun had dipped nearly entirely behind the horizon at that point, but the sides agreed to play one more hole in order to avoid having to resume on Saturday. Brittain tapped in a short putt for par, and Krause missed about a 10 footer that would have matched, giving Brittain and Delp the win as the last gasps of daylight faded away.
Chris Lang is the Editor of Virginia Golfer Magazine and Manager, Digital Media for the VSGA.
2nd VSGA Four-Ball Match Play Championship
At Keswick Golf Club, Keswick
Par 72, 6872 yards
Friday’s first-round results
#1 Keith Decker (Chatmoss CC)/Jon Hurst (Fredericksburg CC) def. #32 James Corry/Thomas Robinson (Evergreen CC), 4 and 3
#16 John Corbin (Stonehouse GC)/Trevor Ronan (Brickshire GC) def. #17 Randall Jones (Fauquier Springs CC)/Danny Menefee (Old Trail GC), 1 up
#8 Vince Wheeler/Corey Gallagher (Roanoke CC) def. #25 Ryan Karnoff/Chad Hess (The Piedmont Club), 4 and 3
#24 Ross Sumner/Jed Rasnick (Hanover CC) def. #9 Tony Good (The Dominion Club)/David Passerell (Meadowcreek GC), 19 holes
#5 Drew Brockwell (CC at the Highlands)/Connor Johnson Jr. (CC of Virginia) def. #28 Tim Jones/Jun Chung (Cedar Point CC), 7 and 5
#21 Tyler Clark/Robert Nussey (Brandermill CC) def. #12 Jim Nirich (Stonewall GC)/Jim Gallagher (Tidewater Amateur Golf Tour), 2 and 1
#4 Brandon LaCroix/Matt Chandler (Hunting Hills CC) def. #29 Ross McIntosh (Potomac Shores GC)/Keith Morgan (The GC at Lansdowne), by default
#13 Parker Wingfield (James River CC)/Spence Andrews (VSGA eClub Richmond) def. #20 Kenneth Plummer/Scott Grantham (Fort Belvoir GC), 5 and 3
#27 Mike Ancel (Newport News GC at Deer Run)/Joe Coates (Mill Quarter Plantation) def. #6 Matt Paciocco (Richmond CC)/Jay Zapko (Magnolia Green GC), 2 up
#11 Christopher White (Birdwood GC)/Matt Ashley (1757 GC) def. #22 Jason Dunn/Phil McQuitty (Chantilly National G&CC), 7 and 5
#3 Buck Brittain (The Virginian GC)/Jimmy Delp (Laurel Hill GC) def. #30 Dru Richter/Nicholas Taliaferro (Salisbury CC), 1 up
#19 Craig Groenendaal (Laurel Hill GC)/Tim Krouse (Westwood CC) def. #14 Bob Cunningham/Greg Cozy (Chantilly National G&CC), 2 and 1
#7 Harold Dill III/Conor Cafferty (South Riding GC) def. #26 Jeff Overton (Cedar Point CC)/Harry Golliday (CC of Virginia), 7 and 5
#10 Steve Serrao (Willow Oaks CC)/Jay Serrao (Cavalier G&YC) def. #23 Chris Neal (The Federal Club)/James Holmes (The Dominion Club), 2 up
#2 Kyle Bailey (Roanoke CC)/Vincent Nadeau (Spring Creek GC) def. #31 Scott Kennedy/Pete Smith (1757 GC), 8 and 7
#15 Adam Houck (The Federal Club)/Scott Reisenweaver (Salisbury CC) def. #18 Neil Davis/Phillip Seay (Birdwood GC), 4 and 3
Friday’s second-round results
#1 Decker/Hurst def. #16 Corbin/Ronan, 5 and 4
#8 Wheeler/Gallagher def. #24 Sumner/Rasnick, 7 and 6
#4 LaCrox/Chandler def. #13 Wingfield/Andrews, 5 and 4
#21 Clark/Nussey def. #5 Brockwell/Johnson, 1 up
#2 Bailey/Nadeau def. #15 Houck/Reisenweaver, 3 and 2
#7 Dill/Cafferty def. #10 Serrao/Serrao, 2 and 1
#3 Brittain/Delp def. #19 Groenendaal/Krouse, 19 holes
#11 White/Ashley def. #27 Ancel/Coates, 6 and 4
Saturday’s quarterfinal matches
#1 Decker/Hurst vs. #8 Wheeler/Gallagher, 8:30 a.m.
#4 LaCroix/Chandler vs. #21 Clark/Nussey, 8:40 a.m.
#2 Bailey/Nadeau vs. #7 Dill/Cafferty, 8:50 a.m.
#3 Brittain/Delp vs. #11 White/Ashley, 9 a.m.